Cougars Play for State Title
It all comes down to this.
Piedmont Academy’s baseball team will attempt to win its first state title in more than 20 years when the Cougars host Trinity-Dublin this week for the GISA Class AA championship, beginning Friday with a 2 p.m. doubleheader. Piedmont swept visiting Frederica Academy 6-3 and 7-3 in the semifinals last Friday.
Coach Danny Camp said the Frederica series was tough due to the hot weather, which both teams had to contend with.
“Our catcher Josh Williams did a great job,” Camp said. “That may have been the toughest position on the field. It certainly didn’t take long to get loose. There was no air moving. It reminded me of those early-season softball tournaments.”
Through the heat and adversity, the Cougars emerged victorious, however. In the clinching game, Mac Brittain did his usual damage on the pitcher’s mound going all seven innings, and allowing just two hits and one earned run. Brittain allowed five walks which is not normal for the senior.
“He probably hasn’t walked 10 batters all season,” Camp said. “I thought the umpire was calling a very tight strike zone for both pitchers.”
The Piedmont coach said Brittain’s pitch count was getting high and reliever Mike Davis was ready to go, but his senior wanted to close it out.
“He felt like he had enough left in the tank so he stayed with him,” Camp said. “It was a gutsy performance. It could have become very frustrating knowing he had to throw a perfect pitch.”
In game two, Jared Smith was 2-for-3 at the plate with a run while Williams was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Luke Andrews delivered a key homer and was 2-for-4 with six RBI.
Mack Brady was also 1-for-3 in the contest. Michael Edwards and Zach Beggs both finished with one hit. Beggs also drew two walks and finished with three runs scored.
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In the first game, Beggs earned the win as Piedmont earned an advantage by going up 1-0 in the series. Beggs allowed just four hits and one earned run while striking out three batters.
Camp said several defensive plays, including one in the outfield by Michael Edwards, helped lift the team to the 6-2 win.
“That was one of the greatest catches I’ve seen in high school,” the coach said. “He never broke stride. It was a fearless play. It was a good indication of how much we wanted that game and series.”
Offensively, Williams was 3-for-4 in game one while Beggs drove in a pair of runs. Frederica took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second but Piedmont answered with runs in the bottom of the second and third innings. The Cougars then pushed two across in both the fifth and sixth innings to build enough of a lead to earn the win.
The final hurdle for the Cougars in their state championship quest will be Trinity Christian School of Dublin. The Crusaders advanced to the championship series by sweeping Terrell Academy (17-4, 16-5). Trinity also defeated Vallwood and Covenant Academy in the postseason.
Neither team has lost a playoff game, going 6-0 in three series.
“It is going to be tough at this point, regardless of who you play,” Camp said. “We are excited about this opportunity, however. It is something special for our school, our players and our community. We have continued to do a good job of going one series, one game, one inning at a time. Even last Friday after we won the first game, we knew it wasn’t a done deal. We had to go back out and do it again.”
Trinity is the No. 1 seed from Region 2-AA while Piedmont is the top seed from Region 4-AA. The predetermined playoff bracket has Piedmont as the host team since both are No. 1 seeds. The Crusaders enter with an overall record of 18-8 while the Cougars are 30-4 riding a 16-game winning streak.
Piedmont was undefeated in region play this season. The Cougars lone setbacks came in the season opener to Class AAA Loganville Christian Academy, who went on to win its region; Bethlehem Christian Academy, who is playing in the Class A state championship series and Class AAA Deefield-Windsor by a run. The other loss came in the second half of an April 12 doubleheader against Gatewood in which Camp used many of his junior varsity players.
“It seems we’ve been on a crash course with Trinity all season,” Camp said. “They have a good club. They are similar to us in many ways. Trinity will take whatever you give them and try to make it work to their advantage. It’s going to be a tough series.”
Despite having already competed in 34 games, Piedmont has not played Trinity this spring. Camp said the Crusaders were never on the schedule but he looks forward to facing them now.
Playing at home is something Piedmont players and coaches hope will be an advantage. Camp said the crowds at region games have been as large as any he’s seen in his 17 seasons coaching the Cougars.
“We’ve had former players coming back to support us and our students now have been a big help,” Camp said. “The entire community has also been great during our run for the championship.”
Friday’s action begins at 2 p.m. with a doubleheader. A third game, if necessary, would be Saturday at 1 p.m.
A win in the championship series would give Piedmont its first state baseball title since 1992. It is the first time the Cougars have been back to the finals since that season 22 years ago.
